As the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) prepares to roll out a series of events and related activities commemorating the industry’s 2010 Centennial, RVBusiness magazine and RVBUSINESS.com are setting up a special Centennial issue focusing among other things on the “75 Most Influential People” in the history of the U.S. RV industry.

“Talk about a tough job,” says RVB Publisher Sherman Goldenberg, in commenting on the upcoming selection process. “We sat down recently to start making a list of likely nominees and soon realized just how intimidating this process is going to be. I mean, when you get beyond the most obvious individuals like Winnebago’s John K. Hanson and Holiday Rambler’s Richard Klingler and Fleetwood’s John Crean and start looking at who else might be on that list, you begin to realize just how difficult this process can be.”

To help build a pool of names, RVBusiness is adding an application this morning (March 13) to the RVBUSINESS.com homepage, a click-through feature through which website visitors can nominate anyone they think ought to be on RVB’s list of the industry’s “75 Most Influential People.”

That list will be published in a June issue that includes an array of centennial coverage and will be released in sync with RVIA’s 100th Anniversary Party June 7 at the RV/MH Heritage Foundation Inc.’s Hall of Fame and Museum in Elkhart, Ind., during what has been designated as “RV Centennial Celebration Month.”

RVIA’s invitation-only industry party, one of several Centennial projects spearheaded by RVIA designed to lift the industry’s post-recessionary spirits, will feature a “Salute to RV Workers,” a live band, fireworks, centennial salutes from RVing celebrities and other VIPs and the unveiling of an RV-themed time capsule that will remain on display at the RV/MH Hall of Fame and Museum.

“We know there are many possible candidates who would likely qualify as having been among the ’75 Most Influential’ individuals in the industry’s history, both from the past and including people who are still working in the industry today,” said Goldenberg. “So, we’ve decided to open the doors on this project to the industry at large to make sure we don’t overlook a lot of people who ought to be mentioned on this list.

“In saying that, however, we realize full well that we will inevitably slip up and overlook some people whose contributions were clearly vital to their companies and to the industry at large because the universe of names over a century’s time is simply too large,” he added. “But we’re trying to keep those oversights to a minimum.”